


The wolf and the moon

by kaisophelia



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Folklore, Forbidden Love, Legends, M/M, Spirits, Werewolves, fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25221259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaisophelia/pseuds/kaisophelia
Summary: There’s an ancient legend that says that if you listen closely during quiet nights of full moon you’ll be able to hear it sing, hear the way its voice echoes across the woods and lands, over rivers and above mountains, carried by the wind. The legend says that those who are able to hear the moon will fall under its spell, enchanted by its magical voice like an ethereal cage trapping them forever.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	The wolf and the moon

_There’s an ancient legend that says that if you listen closely during quiet nights of full moon you’ll be able to hear it sing, hear the way its voice echoes across the woods and lands, over rivers and above mountains, carried by the wind. The legend says that those who are able to hear the moon will fall under its spell, enchanted by its magical voice like an ethereal cage trapping them forever._

Jongin had been told that story ever since he was nothing but a little pup, the elder wolves advising the younger ones because the moon was as beautiful as it was treacherous and one should never ever trust it. It was even worse for them – werewolves were affected by the moon and its changes more than any other living being to the point that their life style revolved around the moon’s phases. They have lived happily and in peace for ages following the simple rule of listening to that legend, staying away from the satellite when it could harm them the most. But the pup was too curious to let a legend stop him and the warnings and advises only encouraged him more and more to find out if what the elder told them was true.

**“One day, when I’m old enough, I’ll stare at the moon’s eyes like no other wolf has ever dared.”**

The sun shone bright on the sky in a mid-spring’s morning, the smell of blossoming flowers filling the air and the sound of the nearby coursing river creating a melody that reverberated amongst the trees and bushes in the woods. This was his day, the day when Jongin would finally come of age as a wolf and so the whole pack prepared a ritual ceremony to honour him. This was also the day when Jongin would be able to fulfil what he had promised years ago. The day when he would look at the moon.

The wind caressed his midnight fur, ears perking up with every sound and paws digging just slightly on the still wet ground underneath as the wolf run with his pack through the woods, following the course of the river towards the clearing where other animals like deer and antelopes used to gather together in the morning to eat the fresh grass that grew taller each day. Hunting was probably one of the activities Jongin liked the most, the adrenaline rushing through his veins and the excitement that came along with it being better than when the time to eat their prey came. A stomach full of fresh meat was nice but _god_ , he loved the thrill of the run, the few seconds that seemed like minutes from the moment he started to chase his prey until he managed to get it down, dig his teeth on its flesh and feel its heart stop beating. And that was exactly what the wolf did as soon as he settled his eyes on a young and tender deer, pursuing him through the fields until he had it cornered against a cliff. Goodbye, was his final thought before jumping on the innocent prey and biting its neck to cut its air supply, his chest heaving and tongue out of his mouth as he panted and watched the animal before him wither slowly.

It was all cheers and howls for him when he came back to his pack, not all wolves managing to catch a prey on his ceremony day. It was something to be proud of, something that signalled Jongin was becoming someone important for the rest of wolves – when the hierarchy was based from the strongest to the weakest there was nothing you wanted more than to be on the top. The hunt had been exhausting at least and every wolf was happy when they returned with a couple of antelopes and the deer Jongin hunted to feed the pack. Yet he was too excited to eat, a knot on his stomach making impossible to swallow an ounce of meat as he kept looking at the sky because today, _today I’ll prove everyone that I can look at the moon_.

He could only sit and wait, wait for the hours to pass by and time to go fast so the sun would set down and the moon would shine bright and big in the sky, full. His paws wiggled and his tail swayed, thumping against the ground like the ticking of a clock as golden eyes stared at the sky, watching the orange and purple shades of twilight taking over the bright blues when the sun started to hide behind the horizon. This was the time. He stood up like impulse by the same earth, running away from the pack, away from everyone and everything that he knew as he followed the path that would take him to the mountain’s summit. It was tiring and exhausting, a journey longer than he had expected yet one that was worthy – the sky was turning darker around him, velvet blue covering everything with dotted sparks of light as he made his way up, higher, reaching his final destination.

The moon was big and bright, crowning the dark indigo sky with its round form and ethereal shine, making Jongin stare at it in amazement and awe. It was beautiful. His ears were up, trying to catch on any sound yet the only one he could hear was the soft rustle of leaves moved by the wind on top of the trees. **“I knew it wasn’t true.”** He said with somewhat a bark, ready to leave when a soft voice made his fur stand on point, sparkles rising underneath his skin as he turned around to be met with a gentle face staring right at him from the sky. It was a breath-taking sight – the man was shining, glowing, his diaphanous clothes the colour of snow and his skin pale and fair, almost pellucid. Black almond-shaped eyes looked into the wolf’s golden ones and a smile spread across the figure’s small lips. It could just be Jongin’s imagination, but he seemed to glow even brighter.

**_“Where you going to leave me?”_** The man asked yet his lips didn’t move and Jongin had to swallow once, twice, realizing that the sound came from inside his mind. **_“Don’t be afraid, please. It has been so long since I last managed to talk to someone…”_** The voice echoed again and the wolf could almost feel the sadness dripping from each word, making his body ache as he forced himself to stay there, looking at the eerie creature. **_“So fascinating. But… what are you doing here? Everyone nowadays have heard my story.”_**

 **“I… I wanted to see that it was real. I had to see it by myself.”** Jongin said rather eagerly, his mind stumbling across his words as he couldn’t keep his eyes away from the man. **“But… wait- does that mean that you are… the moon?”** He asked completely confused, wondering how such a beautiful creature could appear out of nowhere, wondering if maybe, just maybe, he could reach out to touch him. But it was impossible, it was impossible that the man in front of him was-

 ** _“I am. I’m the moon’s spirit. You can call me Minseok.”_** The spirit said, the smile on his face impossibly brighter as he moved closer, his face so close to the wolf’s that they were almost touching. **_“And you… you’re a werewolf, right? What’s your name?”_** He asked, a giggle as sweet as sugar echoing in the night sky. Jongin wanted to lift his paw, nudge the spirit closer, but when he tried to do so his hand went through Minseok’s body without even being stopped. It was as if he simply cut through thin air and it made him startled. **_“Oh, you can’t touch me. I’m just a spirit, like a ghost, nothing but an illusion.”_** Minseok whispered, hovering over the animal until Jongin could feel his soft breath on the fur around his neck.

 **“I’m Jongin.”** He replied, being unable to stop himself before doing so as he felt his mind dazed with the ethereal beauty in front of him, vines wrapping around his heart and squeezing so hard that it hurt. It was as if he was being stabbed right in his lungs, his breath leaving in short puffs and erratic pants. **“Please, come with me. Come to my people so you’ll never be alone again.”**

A soft laugh left the spirit’s lips, thin fingers brushing strands of bright auburn hair as he shook his head. His body became more and more translucent by the second. **_“And leave the sky? If I leave, there’ll be no moon. And what will be of the nights without me to guide them? What will be of the seas if I’m not up here to control the tides? What will be of animals and creatures like you whose life is settled down around me?”_** He said, his words hitting the wolf like sharp slaps as he lowered his head. **_“I can’t go with you… I’m not even real._** ** _I only exist during the first night of every full moon. Why do you think the legends tell to never ever stare at a full moon if you don’t want to get trapped in it?”_**

Jongin huffed at that, howling and realizing that the sun would rise sooner than expected – sooner than wanted. The fact that the spirit was becoming more difficult to outline and see with each second was just another sign of it. **“But, it has to be a way-. “** He tried, struggling to think about it, think how it would be to free the other from his captivity. **“I can’t… I can’t leave you here.** **Don’t make me leave you here.”** He was begging, almost pleading and he couldn’t yet decode why but the need of having the other close, preventing him from leaving, was something so painful that he couldn’t hold himself back.

Late. It was too late already and the last thing he saw was a tear falling down the spirit’s face before the sunrays made him fade into the brightness of a new morning Jongin was growing to hate. A long, cranky howl left his lips as he growled to the sky and for the first time in his life he cried. Tears of rage, sadness and helplessness filled his golden eyes as he staggered his way back with his pack, knowing that he would never be the same. One couldn’t be the same when there was a sudden hole in his chest dwelling in constant pain, only able to wait for twenty-seven days until the next full moon started.

Jongin didn’t realize what the legend meant until two months later, after his two next encounters with the spirit always in the first night of full moon – he would receive Minseok with a howl, make him company for the night until the sun deemed fit that it had been enough, condemning them both to what seemed like another eternity away from each other. The spell was nothing but love; the cage, a deadly sadness that hollowed the heart and got stuck inside upon the inability to be with the loved one. One by one, the other wolves of the pack left Jongin alone, thinking that the wolf had gone crazy with his ravings about someone named Minseok who lived in the moon, who was the moon.

And he couldn’t do anything but cry – he cried because the moon was away, because he couldn’t touch it and hold it and kiss it like he wanted, he cried every night because that was the only way he could try and make Minseok hear him, let the spirit know that he had not forgotten about him even if the moon couldn’t be seen on the sky. Sometimes his heart would jump when the moon appeared to smile at him; others, when it appeared to be sad, Jongin would howl until he passed out. Every night, for the rest of his life he would wait for the velvet sky to turn dark and the full moon to appear just so he could have a few hours of happiness that would die with the sunrise and leave him to wait again. It was a torture, like cold water on a recently burned wound.

_It was his punishment for not following the rules because no one was allowed to fall in love with the moon._


End file.
